China Doll, China Doll
by Mu Yuan Qing
Summary: SasuSaku, and other general couples. Story sets in ancient China, where Sakura, the ordinary peasant girl, meets Sasuke, who is next in line for the throne. little do they know that this queer relationship is gonna pull them closer than ever.First story!
1. Chapter One: Enter Sakura

"Let me take his place, Your Majesty."

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It was just any other ordinary day, with the same ordinary people walking around the streets, with the same ordinary stalls in the marketplace, except for the father of a certain girl who, oh-so-carelessly landed himself in the Dowager's garden, and so happened to mistakenly chop down her favorite oak. The Emperor was neither a patient nor a forgiving monarch, and when he was just about to announce the poor fellow's death sentence, a certain lad barged into the court, in nothing but an old cap, a ragged shirt, and a pair or baggy trousers with holes in it. _Another of those peasant hooligans_ thought the impatient monarch.

"Who are you? Barging in like that! Name?"

"Sakura, _Haruno_ Sakura. I am his daughter. I see- "

She was cut off without any courtesy.

"Aha! Like father like daughter! No manners at all. The same way this peasant here barged into my gardens a while ago."

"Please accept my apologies, Your Highness. My father is not in the right state of mind, and he often loses his way, even in our backyard, and-" She was cut off again.

"Nonsense! I will be expecting his head on a platter by dinner!"

"No! Please, I beg you!"

"I will have none of that-"

"Let me take his place. Your Majesty."

There was a long pause. The king silenced at her request. It would make a fine bargain. Though humble she may be, Sakura was drop-dead gorgeous, where her looks definitely made women gape and men ogle. Her emerald spheres seemed so lustrous, yet secretive, and the presence of it simply made diamonds feel ashamed. Her lips overwhelmed the best of the ripest cherries, and glowed a healthy pinkish hue without the addition of lipstick. Though catchy and unusual her hair color may be, the pink flounce seemed to add to the perfection of her whole being, along with the translucent complexion and flawless skin, she was simply an oriental version of Snow White – no, better even – even the oriental snow white herself would grow jealous of such beauty, as if the face itself was carved out by the angels themselves.

_She's definitely going to make a good wife for my son _the confused monarch was thinking, _but…_ The Prince of Konoha had refused every single woman who had come to ask to be his bride,_ he turned down the most beautiful and richest and influential of all the suitors in a matter of seconds_ _but will he accept this one? _A plan came to his mind in the wink of a second. He could make this girl his handmaid and after getting to know each other, he would drug their wine and make it seem as if they had bedded each other with accident, and to save face, the prince would just have to marry her off and BOOM! Mission accomplished.

"Alright, I will let you take his place-"

"Oh thank you Your Majesty! I really don't know how to thank you for your kindness and -"

"Let me finish my sentence. Your father seems to be innocent, and furthermore, it is very lucky of you (looks at Mr. Haruno )to have such a caring daughter. So I intend to lessen the penalty, and instead of a death sentence, you, young lady, shall serve in the palace for the rest of your life. Is that clear?"

"Yes, I shall do as you have commanded."

"Your punishment starts now."

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Sakura was given half an hour to pack her luggage and report to the palace grounds. She wasn't rich and had little to pack, with her father as her only living relative, so the job was done in a bit. After waving her father goodbye she alighted the carriage that had awaited her at her door, slinging her dainty bundle over her shoulder.

"Papa! I'll write to you everyday! And don't worry about the money! I'll send them to you every month! Take care, I love you!" and Sakura's voice trailed off as the strong wind lapped up her hair and attacked her face with it.

**A/N :  
****I've finally written my first story. Sorry to those who had experienced the technical problem. I uploaded the wrong file and left the story blank :( So how was it? How did it go? Excellent?Good?Average?Bad?Hate it? Oh no please don't hate it. I know its a bit short, but I'm already finished with what I wanna write(I can't go beyond anything that's irrelevant to "Enter Sakura", so, ya, I promise future chapters are gonna be much longer). Tell me how you want the story to be, and i'll keep adding to it! I do love novels so i intend to keep writing until the story ends naturally, I mean I won't be rushing it, so I suppose CDCD's(short term for China Doll, China Doll) gonna go up to, I dunno, a hundred chapters? for those who do want to read on, please read and review! This is my first story, so please give suggestions and if you wanna give critism, PLEASE GO AHEAD. I really need your help in order to make this a wonderful fanfic, so again, R&R.**


	2. Chapter Two: Long Way To Go

**Disclaimer : I do not own Naruto, and it hurts to say I don't ****:(**

It was when her father disappeared into a small spot and his waving figure vanished into thin air, she then remembered to observe her surroundings. The carriage that she had gotten on was completely roofless, but was nevertheless safe to travel on. It was just a simple vehicle made of wood planks that extended from the front to the back, or rather the carriage itself looked like a gigantic shoe box with a divider separating the driver from the passengers and an opening fitted with a door that served as the exit. Four horses took the lead and whinnied when the horseman yanked on the reins, each different – two were grayish blue with white spots, one a piebald pony, and the remaining one wore a strong coat of a brownish-camel color .The driver himself wore a large coat made of straw and a piece of simple tunic under it, and on his head was a matching straw hat. The carriage held approximately twelve other women, who, after small talk and casual conversation, Sakura understood were to serve the palace, as she was assigned herself. Most of them were more or less her age, except for three elderly women who huddled close together to warm themselves of the cold, and two other girls who pouted and scoffed, apparently about ten years old, a good six years younger than her and her peers.

Despite the bitter cold, snow began to fall, and the girls held tighter to their coats. The older women huddled ever more closely and the little ones cuddled deeper into Sakura's arms. The kind-hearted horseman, seeing the ladies in such condition, stopped the cart and brought out from the side of his seat several straw cloaks identical to the one he was wearing, and a large piece of black cloth made of a coarse and tough material. He then crawled aboard the passenger compartment and handed them the clothing. "Here," he said as he handed them the straw cloaks, "this should make you better," and as he draped the large black cloth over the entire passenger compartment, "And this, should protect you from the snow", and tied four secure knots on the four corners, which held the cloth firmly to the carriage and only a small pinch of cold air seeped through the gap indicating the exit. It was warm and cozy… and dark. The cloth blocked out most of the light, and since it was getting dark, the originally quite spacious cart turned pitch black. People were squirming aimlessly for their belongings. It was simply havoc. It was the darkness that reminded Sakura of her own possessions. She found the small bundle that she had brought along and produced from it a small box of matches, two small porcelain dishes with respective stands, and a handful of white candles. She melted the bottom of two of the candles, and attached them carefully to the dishes. Lighting the candles, she loosened the stand and clamped them tightly around the ledges of the cart, one torch on either side.

A few of her acquaintances uttered a word of thanks as the light of the candles lit up the area and allowed some warmth to wash away the cold. Sakura then started to look for something to do on her journey. Undoing her little bundle, she retrieved a small stack of writing paper, a brush, a slob of ink, a three sets of clean clothes to change on the way, and her very own blossom-shaped darts. _I nearly forgot about the darts, forgot that I'm.. _She thought hard, trying to admit to herself her true identity_ that I'm…_She debated against her inner self, still unable to forgive herself for…for…_I'll have none of that! Right now I'm going to the palace to serve as a handmaid and these darts are… just for-_ tired after the long and bumpy journey, she fell soundly asleep with a tiny frown between her brows, still deep I thoughts of her previous experiences. After all, she was a warrior.

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"Wake up Ladies!" the shrill cry of the driver rang in their ears, awaking them from their soft slumber. Sakura rubbed her eyes and finally caught hold of her surroundings. After the night's journey, they had finally reached the Forbidden City(1). The structure itself seen from afar was a big block of rooftops and carvings mixed with colors of gold and crimson. The atmosphere suddenly changed from subtle to complete seriousness, as if the building itself made the neighboring trees stand-up straight and do salutes. _This is going to be my home for the rest of my life_ Sakura thought,_ I'd better get going._ Swiftly, she packed her belongings, put out the candles they were using, tidied up her hair, and straightened up herself, double-checking herself to make sure that she was fully prepared for what was to come.

They soon approached the block of pillars and walls. Every single one of the latter gasped at the sight. No wonder it was named the Forbidden City. The walls had to be at least several meters high, and more, it was made of solid rock, the driver explained. The pillars connecting the walls were even a meter taller, _how on earth did mankind manage to build these?_ thought Sakura. The whole of it covered a vast area of seven hundred and twenty hundred square meters, and it took them almost half an hour to go around the corner, from the side to the back. There were even more exclamations when they finally reached the "entrance". There was a sturdy roof neatly stuffed with gold tiles at least one and a half meter in length, plus a guardian statue on either side; the pillars holding the roof at its height were specially decorated, with dragons and phoenixes carved into it, and several characters that wished those who passed through it peace and prosperity were tinted a gleaming gold which matched the saturation of the roof. The doors were decorated with small nuggets, about a feet in diameter, neatly spaced with a smooth curvature. The door knob was one of a dog's skull, with a ring as a bit in its jaws which served as the door banger. It was fascinating.

More gasps were heard as the horseman told them it was just the backdoor.

Entrance into the door led them into a yard. Well, the Emperor's yard, and _in my words, _Sakura mumbled, _not much, only a mere five of our villages, _and her tone was full of sarcasm. Sakura and the latter were led down the carriage, requested to line up in pairs, and followed another lady into one of the buildings. _I might as well get lost in here, _Sakura thought, as she lined up along with the others. They were led into a fully furnished living room. The wooden chairs and tables were sweet-smelling, the cushions soft and comfy, and most of all, everything was surely an item of much value. The every single piece of fabric was nicely decorated, from the fan in the lady's palm to the expensive carpet laid out on the marble floor.

"Quickly girls," the lady ordered as she handed them each a set of maid clothes. They were then given soap and shampoo and a towel, and half an hour to get themselves ready. Sakura washed herself and anointed herself with the cherry flavored perfume that her mother made for her. The tunic that she was given was lovely. It was whitish-pink with tiny crimson threads finely lining the shape of a lotus, followed by a white border and a matching waistband, with a wooden pendant in it. Along with her set of clothes she was also given several matching ribbons to tie her hair in. Seeing the fabric, she quickly tried tying her hair into neat twists and buns, as she had never done before, due to the fact that either she was too poor, and could not afford beautiful knit bits like these, or that she was too beautiful to even show her face as a girl. She had encountered several dangerous occasions previously, and that if she hadn't been trained for the martial arts before, she would've ended up in a brothel.

The lady who let them in finally had the chance to introduce herself. "My name, is Yamananka Ino. As the head of the handmaid department, I will be taking care of all your needs and responsibilities. I will give you a brief training session and you will start serving your respective masters from tomorrow onwards," Ino announced. "May the training begin!" And they were off to their training grounds.

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What a day! After tea pouring, she had to learn the basic technique of how to "walk" properly, how to help your mistress change her clothes, fix her hair… it was too much for her. The names were to be announced tomorrow morning. Sakura waited patiently for the word to come._ That's the person I'll be serving for the rest of my life _Sakura thought, _and I'd better get along with her._ Was she going to serve the Empress? Or the Dowager(who had a nasty temper, _oh no_)? Or just- She was asleep in seconds.

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(1) Forbidden City : The enormous palace where all walks of royalty of Ancient China lived in.

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**A/N :  
Didn't have much fun writing this chapter, and I personally think its boring and redundant, so please help me make it better. Okay, Uchiha Sasuke coming up next chapter, any ideas on their first encounter? Any lemons yet? Please R&R! Thank you for your support!**


	3. Chapter Three: Enter Sasuke

**Disclaimer : I do not own ****Naruto****.**

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**Reply to your reviews :**

**xxikababyxx : **thanks )  
**Kaydreams**** :**thank you for the compliment, but I guess I'll be concentrating on Sakura before I turn to other girls(to your disappointment), well I do hope to add them in  
**Kaliedoscope**** : **really? Should I add any lemons? Or will I be going too quickly?  
**kt.1z.awesome : **thank you for the wonderfully useful comments! I haven't much experience with story writing(let alone fan fiction), though I paid much effort in learning how to write like Sidney Sheldon, I was still wondering how I could draw my chapters closer to perfection... I shall try my best to add more to Sakura's thoughts and feelings, but I think I'll still have to read more in order to write better lemons. You are definitely the perfect guide! Thank you again )  
**OhQilly****.**: oh dear, I forgot completely about the dialogue! Nah, I should be the one saying sorry, after all, it was a stupid mistake.

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"Get up!" All she heard was the loud burst of doors and the high pitched yell coming from Ino's mouth. The sun was starring madly at her with its rays. The clock read eight in the morning. Work was supposed to start at eight fifteen. "Oh my gosh!" Her head was still spinning from the pressure she had received from the training day before. _God, I shan't be late for work, who knows were the king's gonna put me if I flunk my job, my punishment. _The pink-haired girl quickly brushed her hair and washed her face, rinsing her mouth and wiping her lips dry as she went. She was clean in seconds. There were only eight minutes left but that was more than enough. She chose a white tunic and a green waistband and matching ribbons for her hair in the stack of uniforms that she had been given the day before. Twisting and braiding her hair as fast as she could, she draped her cotton slip over her shoulders, secured it at her chest, stepped into her clothes, tied her waistband around her hips neatly and skillfully, slipped into a pair of beige pants, and set off for her work._ Twelve past eight. _Sakura read aloud the time on the clock._ Marvelous. _She hastily marched to the glade where the maids were supposed to gather, clutching the hem of her dress, nervous to see who she would be designated to serve _for the rest of my life… my goodness_.

They lined up single file, each assigned randomly to their posts. Five were to work as a group and serve one of the royal members. One to the study, one to the bedroom, one to help out in the kitchen, one in the living room, and the one left to follow her master/mistress around as a handmaid.

_Who would I be serving? Please don't let it be a perverted freak. _Her mind automatically pictured a hefty monarch pushing her to the ground and nipping at her neck frantically, and she herself screaming her head off and gasping for help._ No! _She nearly screamt out loud, _this is completely disgusting, revolting, annoying, __ARGH__! _and quickly turned her thoughts else where. Sakura snapped out of her daydream when she heard names being called.

"Suzuki Sora?"

"Present!"

"Dowager's bedroom."

_Good, now the Dowager's posts are all taken. _Sakura thought with a sigh of relief.

"Hiyashi May?"

"Present."

"Emperor's handmaid."

_Hold it, aren't there twenty posts? _Sakura thought again in sudden realization. _But there are only nineteen of us… __Wha__-?_

"Lady Ino?" Sakura asked. "Yes? Oh wait, let me call out the last two names first- Haruno Sakura?" Ino called. "I am Sakura." "Great then, Prince's bedroom… Oh dear, there's a maid missing, who's going to fill out for the prince's handmaid?" Ino gasped in horror. "That's the problem I wanted to tell you..." replied Sakura speaking in a as-a-matter-of-fact tone. Seeing that Ino surely needed help, and that she herself was here on a privilege (if not for that her father would have already been dead), she considered volunteering for the post. "I'll take..." she stuttered, with sweat trickling down her chin from the nervousness, "I'll take the post." "Really?" Ino exclaimed in relief, "Good then, you'll be taking care of both himself and his bedroom", and checked the last name on her list. _What were you doing?! _Sakura blamed herself for taking both posts._ Finding a substitute was none of your business! _Her inner self nearly bursting out in fury. Well, her inner self was right in a way... One post was already difficult enough to handle, meaning that she had to work twenty-four-seven non-stop putting her master in her care, two posts would certainly overwork her little body. Besides the work load, she was now responsible for nearly all the prince's personal routines. Even more, she was now the one who took care of the prince most of the time, and that the punishment would result in double the fine if anything went wrong, meaning that if she was accused of any faults in association with the prince's matters, she would either get a good spanking(1) or have her head chopped off. Well, what has been done has been done, so no point in regretting. She slowly walked along the pebble-decorated pathway to the prince's chamber to meet her fellow workers.

"Ne Hau(2)," a black-haired girl greeted her with a polite smile. "Hi, I'm Sakura," Sakura replied gently. "Oh, I forgot to introduce myself, I'm Hinata by the way," the girl replied with another sweet smile. "This is Ten-Ten, and I'm Karin." the red-haired girl beside Hinata pointed to herself and her companion, a brunette. _Well, seems to me that my peers aren't that bad (smiles) _Sakura thought. "I go on to my post then, see you later!" Sakura then proceeded to the bedroom.

The Prince's bedroom left her mouth hanging ajar.

Though she had never entered a gentleman's room before (except her father's, but they were too poor to get anything luxurious and make it look fancy), she had never expected it to look... so gloomy, yet, the somberness made it one's fantasy. The walls were made entirely of ebony, where they were laid in twenty-two great planks in the shape of a curved triangle, ending up in a dome-shaped ceiling, allowing only a speck of sunlight to enter, where the aurora shone straight from the top to the floor, illuminating the bed, which was located in the center of the room. _This definitely reminds me of a glade in a forbidden forest. _Sakura chuckled to herself as she marveled at the wondrous sight. The floor was also of ebony, but somehow it felt damper than those of the walls and the ceiling. _Well, the prince always has his reasons for building a wet floor, never mind him then._ She resolved to help the house owner light up the area when she came to see that the candle itself was finely decorated, with a snake curling itself around the matter, and twigs amongst it, where every single scale and leaf was delicately carved. She picked it up and examined it more closely._ Rich people,_ she said to herself. It was when she was about to light the first candle she suddenly realized that there were thirty over of the same black candles in their stands twirling from the right-hand-side of the door working its way up to the ceiling. She mumbled a curse under her breath, seeing the lot of candles that she were to light and put off as a daily routine, and proceeded to lighting the first one when she heard footsteps approach. Whirling around, she found her face collide with a solid object - namely the prince's chest.

"I do not like my chambers in disturbance." The figure snapped. Sakura, seeing that it wasn't polite not to announce her presence, started with a sentence. "Please accept my apologies. I'm the new-" abruptly cut off, the figure startled her again by posing another harsh statement. "If YOU may please, get out of my room." No emotion was detected from his icy language. Sakura could take it any longer. Running out of patience, she burst out in frustration, but yet, exercising restraint on her tone, taking care that it did not sound impolite. "You're Majesty, may I be permitted to finish my sentence?" Sakura continued, and between breaths, she noted the look on his face, reminding her that he was taken aback by her sudden change in manner. "I am Haruno Sakura, your new handmaid and also the maid in charge of you bedroom, do feel free to call upon me anytime if you feel that you are in need of my service." With that she turned on her heels and proceeded to leave the room. "Aha! Ha! Hahaha!" He laughed a horrible laugh. Yes horrible was the word. Haunting wasn't even touching its edges. Sakura felt a shiver move down her spine as the cackling went on. Until he finally ceased his _Horrible_ laughter. He then changed back to his own "cool" self. "No one works for me." The line raised a question mark in Sakura's mind. "No one is able to work for me." This raised another. "Because I'm not like everyone else. I _don't like_ to be like everyone else." There was a twitch of danger in his tone.

He snapped his fingers and the originally damp ebony floor shuddered and sunk. At the sudden surprise, Sakura, with her agility and lightning reflexes, propelled herself off the ground and stayed in air for a while, before, grasping one of the candle stands and securing herself to it(3). She then turned to look at what had happened to the ground. Well, now there wasn't even a ground, which explained why the floor was damp. A good depth of water now acted as the floor, and the Prince himself was standing on it, as if it was just another piece of floor. The only object now above water, was his bed and the small heap of gravel that was holing it up. Sakura, seeing that the prince had no other means of testing her, removed herself from the candle stand and landed gracefully on the cool surface of the liquid.

"You are good…" The Prince commented. "Thank you." Sakura replied with a neat smile, careful not to appear too friendly in case of anything more. "Meaning that you are not allowed to work in this palace." His tone turning dangerous again. Sakura had completely forgotten that she was not allowed to reveal her true identity as a martial expert. People of the current dynasty despised those who knew the art, apparently thinking that it was too dangerous to learn it, and the only ones who were allowed access were the members of the royal palace. _Oh dear_… She had to get herself out of this_…but how? _She quickly worked up a question which showed neither fear nor stance. "What do you want?" turning her voice into a much cooler and icier tone, nearly matching with the prince's. "You should make a fine maid." "Deal." "And I'll make a good secret-keeper. Start working tomorrow morning. Meanwhile, attend to your personal matters." "Yes you're Majesty, thank you again for your generosity." "Oh yeah, and by the way, let me show you how to light your candles, PROPERLY." There was obvious sarcasm present in his tone. "See here," and he lighted the one Sakura had been examining previously. "Watch how I do it and make sure you don't mess it up tomorrow." He pulled the little iron weight in the stand, and let go. The candle dipped its flame into the next one the weight of the piece of metal pulled it back, knocking into the iron weight of the adjacent stand, repeating the process until every candle was lighted. The system worked on leverage and the shift of weight. Each little candle stand was made of a pulley and a built in weight (which the Prince pulled on) underneath it which held the candle in place by keeping it stable. When one raised the weight , the candle would drop down to the side, lighting the next candle, and when the person let go, the weight would fall again, knocking the next weight, pushing the power from one candle stand to another, and at the same time stabilizing the candle in its stand.

Sakura had just finished understanding the process when he came out of nowhere holding a stack of women's clothing. "Your clothes don't suit my eyes. Use these instead." With that, he went away with a sweep of his cloak. _ARGH! You arrogant jerk! What's with rich people these days? Do they all have to speak like this? "Your clothes don't suit my eyes" "I'll show you how to do it PROPERLY." Hello! I am not some kinda toddler who'd just gotten myself outta kindergarten! _Sakura had just finished sending her curses, when he turned around and spoke. "By the way, I chose you because you're the only girl who doesn't faint when you see me. And I'm telling you, that's kind of annoying. And-" _CURSE YOU!! _Sakura wanted so badly to spit in his face. She had never seen anyone so proud. "You're Majesty is a name that I despise. Though I know that I am the Ultimate Uchiha Prodigy, please refrain from calling me that. Call me Sasuke-sama." Trying hard to cool herself down, she retreated into the kitchen to see if Hinata needed any help.

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(1)spanking : one of the most common punishments in ancient china was spanking, where the victim had to receive a good spank in the rump in the amount that the emperor ordered(usually counted in hundreds).  
(2)"Ne Hau" : 你好,general greeting, translated as "Hi" if in English.  
(3)Sakura was so skillfully trained that she need not matter what she was standing to, as she attached herself with the force running in her, and not physically clinging for her life. With this, she is actually able to make herself as light as a feather, and can easily skim across walls and the surface of the water.

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**A/N :**

**Phew! Hard a hard time making Sasuke proud enough. How was it? So far I've been trying hard to increase the word count, and well, hard work pays off, I've finally gotten my work to increase from a thousand eight hundred to two thousand and five hundred!! Yahoo I guess I'll be pushing it until I reach three thousand and something, then I'll stay put. Same old thing, my beloved readers, please Read and Review! **


	4. Chapter Four: Surprises

_Disclaimer__: I do not own Naruto or any of its anime series or comics : ((_

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**A/N ****: A zillion sorries to those i have disappointed.... I admit that I have put the story down for a good many months. I wanted to add two more chapters to CD in the Christmas and New Year Hols, but… mission unaccomplished… again. The good news is I've just finished my exams and I've got a good two months to use before the next test. I plan to finish at least two chapters, hopefully I'll get to the fluff by then (yes, I'm excited to say that there IS lime coming on), coz there's no point in writing a love story leaving out the sourness. So same again, R&R, and I love you all reader!**

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**Reply to your reviews (I do reply to every single review you guys give me!) :**

**kt.: **thankyou again for your continuous support katie (you mind if i call you katie? or is kt better)~ yes, your insightful ideas always help me light sparks in my chapters- about the war thing.... i considered it thoroughly, but hope you don't mind that i discarded a small part of the idea, coz it didn't really fit in the chapter, but i still retained the good stuff : )) read on to find out ^^ thank you again!!!

**xxikababyxx: **seems to me that a couple of days turned into a couple of months xdd! yup, i think i will add someone who intervenes with their blossoming relationship --- I love your TOOTHY GRIN : ))

**Kaydreams: **All suggestions are equally useful ^^ thank you for your continuous support!

**sakurahua2x: **Yup, that was what I was just thinking~ by the way, are you Chinese? Coz your pen name bears the mandarin pronunciation of "flower"

**TimTam's rule: **choice (g) seems to be quite a popular choice, seems to me that a war fits the setting better than other choices.

**CaNdYgUrL143: **(g) too~ thank you!

**The short master: **thank you for adding me to your fav list ^^ referring to a = should i add lime or lemons? or just fluff? seems to me that c has proved itself to be quite popular too, along with b and g : ))

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**Ch.4 Surprises**

**"All units to the Main Palace! Repeat, all units to the Main Palace! "**

A shrill cry from the palace crier deafened Sakura's ears. It was only seconds that she had just finished dealing with a highly arrogant bastard when she received her second surprise of the day. She had just promptly stepped out of Sasuke's room...or "habitat", since he could be better off being considered an animal than a human, with a handful of HIS maid clothes for her. Upon hearing the alarm, she rushed to her own dormitory, put the clothes down and rushed off again, to the Main Palace. Everyone was in a hurry.

"Good. Everyone's here."

Ino counted to herself as she calmed down the hustle and bustle around the newly chosen maids in a hushed whisper. The atmosphere was tense…_freakingly tense. _Sakura thought.

"I've only heard this cry once in my whole life working in the palace." Ino stated in fear and urgency. "Really? What is happening? What happened last time? Wha- " Sakura asked in equal emotions. These were only a few of the zillion questions popping up from who-knows-where in her little cranium.

"Shush… I've got a bad feeling about this."

Ino ushered the maids into the glade where the king gave orders for them to go into, and double-checked whether all the maids were present, occasionally throwing in a few words of reminder about their posture. It was a good fifteen minutes before the king arrived in the balcony overlooking the glade. He cleared his throat and prepared himself for speech. Sakura couldn't help but notice the Dowager and the Queen sitting on his right and – the "oh" so arrogant – Sasuke strutting about to his left. The Emperor, seeing that his first cough did not prevail, coughed a second time, which created instant response. The crowd silenced itself and listened intently to the Emperor's announcement.

"You are no longer needed. Pack your bags. Go home. Don't come back."

There was an instant uproar. Questions arose from all directions.

"What? We're sacked? But I'm the breadwinner of the family. I need the money!"

"Shut Up! Who of us aren't? I guess we'll just have to find another job then…"

"Leave? I have nowhere to go to! Where do you suppose I'm gonna stay?

"What should we do?"

"Do what he just told us to do – pack our bags and go home."

The uproar lasted for approximately a few seconds when the Emperor cleared his throat again to call for attention.

"Each of you will be prepaid two months' wages-" From the middle of his sentence emerged the urgent voice of the Dowager. "Dear! But that's our money…"

"Everyone should get a part. We won't be needing it anyway. We have enough weaponry and food, and I suppose you'd rather give it to our people rather than let the Huns steal it incase they invade us…"

Seems like the Emperor spoke too soon. Knowing that the Huns were approaching, everyone ran for their life. Surprisingly the Emperor did not give orders to prevent or hold back those who were escaping. In minutes the podium was empty except for Sakura, Ino, the royal members in the balcony, and a few others known to be loyal. The lot added up to a handful of weaklings, prone to attack anytime.

"I'm staying, Sakura." Ino said with a firm voice. "Me too." Sakura returned with a gentle and comforting smile. She was definitely going to stay. The Emperor had spared her father's life and granted her a job with a satisfying pay allowing her to take care of her family. Being a faithful servant was the best way to repay the honor.

The Emperor, though quite obvious that he was troubled with dismay due to being abandoned by his people, still put up a smile, and addressed those who where remaining.

"You have all been fine men and waiting ladies. But this is not the time to follow me. It is my responsibility to ensure your safety. Please return to your respective homes and hide from the coming danger." All those left behind in the podium were given their belongings and a small packet of money, which contained the promised wages, and were hastily ushered out of the palace. Sakura watched helplessly as the palace guards placed several human-sized locks over all the gates of the palace and sealed the doors with additional wooden bars. It was impossible to imagine that everything had happened so quickly. She had just arrived yesterday and went through all the training, plus it was only this morning that she had received orders concerning who she would be destined to serve for the rest of her life.

Wait.

Sasuke knows how to fight. Sasuke _knows _I know how to fight. _I know how to fight._ Maybe…

Maybe I can fight.

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"Sasuke."

"Yes, Father?"

"Prepare your men for war."

"Yes, I will, Father."

"And Sasuke?"

"Yes?"

"Stop pretending to be proud."

"…"

Sakura walked along with the crowd but slacked behind, waiting patiently for the right timing to strike. Once seeing the guards retreat into the palace, she then jumped into one of the taller oaks overlooking the palace walls, which lead right into the prince's bedroom. Double-checking that there were no longer any guards patrolling the grounds, she gathered some strength in her thigh muscles and propelled herself into the air, and landed on the surface of the pond just outside Sasuke's mansion. At first she wanted to knock on his door, but on second thought it would seem quite abrupt and the loud knocking would surely alarm those beside his mansion; on the other hand making a secretive entrance would be a better decision. She finally chose to drop in from his ceiling, remembering there was a tiny opening where she could slip in. She hid in a nearby rock for the rest of the day until it was twelve midnight.


	5. Chapter Five: Marriage?

_Disclaimer__: I do not own Naruto or any of its anime series or comics : ((_

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**A/N ****: I've changed the rating because I'm adding fluff. Sorry for the bad language… I don't really know how to link the fluff and the war together, so when you read it just concentrate on the fluff and not the description of the treaty and the war… this is my first time in adding lime into a story, so please R&R, and tell me whether its appropriate or not.**

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**Reply to your reviews (I do reply to every single review you guys give me!) :**

**kt.: **Thank you again for being a very supportive reader! You always manage to post the first review =] You've been thinking about my story? That is so awesome!I've been quite busy lately, fortunately I've finally finished my exams, so I should be able to finish a few more chapters before my next exam comes up. How are you? Regarding my writing, I've found myself a Beta Reader who (so happens) is currently sitting right next to me in class. OMG. I never did know she wrote fanfics too, and her English is SUPERB 0_0. To your disappointment I might not be writing too much about the war because I plan to use it as a stepping-stone for the upcoming fluff, but thank you again=]

**Laura-chan: **thank you for your support ^^ there sure are some coming up =]

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**Ch.5 Marriage?**

The first thing her back encountered when she landed in Sasuke's room was something namely his chest and his breath, which felt … warm, cozy, moist, _sexy. –Gosh! What was I THINKING?!_ Sakura shook her head clean of the stuff and returned to dealing with the situation with clear senses. After all she _was _a normal girl who had normal feelings for men. She felt a cool object being pressed to her neck and muscles encircling her waist.

A deep voice hissed into her ear.

"Coming back to rob some more?"

"You're mistaken-" remembering what he had ordered her to call him, "-Sasuke-sama."

"Oh, Sakura."

There was a long pause. There was something special about him today. He sounded… different. It was not the usual arrogant, snotty, biggety him. He seemed to have… changed… for the better. She felt the cold object loosen its grip on her throat. Sakura smiled to herself.

"Yes. I've returned to help."

--------------------

Sasuke had long realized that there was someone hiding outside his bedroom. If he didn't come in through the door he would surely come in through the ceiling. The hole letting in the sunlight was surely big enough for a skinny man to pass. He also expected challenge. No simple burglar would be daring enough to brave the palace guards. After finding himself a cozy seat on top of one of his cupboards, he blew off all the candles and waited. And waited. And…waited. It reached the dead of the night. He saw a shadow land on his bed. Careful not to make any noises, he reached for his sword and skimmed across the water, easily reaching up behind the invader. He raised his sword to the thief's throat, wound his other arm around his waist, and asked a question of suspicion.

"Coming back to rob some more?"

As he was about to tighten his grip on his throat, he came to notice that the intruder had a rather small build. And soft skin. And sweet smelling hair. And a firm, supple chest just the right size. And a matching delicate waist. And long, _long_, legs that went on forever. Long, _sexy legs. _It was unmistakable that there was his own Uchiha sign implanted on the collar of the tunic that the thief was wearing, but who could have stolen his maid clothes without his own knowledge? He had ordered them to be specially designed and tailored to his liking but he never did approve of any of the maids his father had given him. Except-

Then came the perfume that leaked from his lips when he spoke. _Jasmine._

"You're mistaken, Sasuke-sama."

Sakura.

For a moment he felt her rump press against his member. Damn it. It wasn't a lovely occasion for his blood to boil. He did want to try having an erection, but not this time. NO. He couldn't think of anything to say. Fearing that Sakura would notice his beginning aggregation, he quickly answered.

"Oh, Sakura."

And there was nothing more he could think of.

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The war went over quite quickly. They had not expected their enemy to be empty of any martial fighters. Sasuke, along with Sakura and his team of hundred over soldiers quickly defeated the Hun soldiers and invaded the city. They also did not expect the city to be… THAT luxurious. The chairs were all made of ebony, and the outlook was similar to that of Sasuke's room, except that there were silk table runners and the furniture were mostly peppered with gems and embroidered with gold lace, AND, there was much more light.

The treaty was signed and the conditions discussed.

"Sir Uchiha, princess Temari should make a good wife for your son, on the condition that they wed tonight."

"Treaty Signed."

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It was only an hour before Sasuke knew that he had to marry a woman he did not know. Confused and bored, he sat in his room, across his newly wedded wife – whom he did not know, and above all, not interested in. His mind was somewhere else, floating away from his brain and landing itself on a certain memory when a girl offered to help him in the war. Allowing the Uchiha tribe to take over the castle was part of the signed treaty, and along with it, came this "arranged marriage". Temari was to wed Sasuke. One of them finally opened her mouth to speak, after the long, boring pause.

"I'm not marrying you." She pouted as she spat the sentence in his face.

"Neither am I." He spat back.

"My boyfriend's coming to fetch me tonight. Don't you dare stop him."

Sasuke couldn't care less. It was nothing of his business. It was when he opened his mouth to snap a shadow appeared on the sill of his veranda. His dressage looked Hun-ish and matched the designs of the dress Temari wore. _Must be her "boyfriend",_ he chuckled to himself. Not really paying attention to the conversation between the pair, he noticed approaching footsteps. He was just warning the pair about the intruder when someone leaped in from the balcony. In came-

Sakura.

"What are you doing here?"

"The King's coming to check on you," she spoke to Sasuke with urgency, and facing Temari and her suitor, "you two'd better go."

Together they stunned a few guards, and ushered the pair out of the balcony. Great. _What should we do? Father's sure to arrive in a matter of seconds._

"Great, what should we do now?"

"You're asking me?"

"Shut up. Think of a plan."

But there was no time. They waited in despair when the footsteps became louder and louder. The footsteps finally reached. There was a loud knock on the door.

"Sasuke? Temari? Its Father, I'm coming in."

With that the door clicked open. There was nothing that could be done now. Sakura sat on the bed in despair when Sasuke suddenly rushed to the door and banged it shut. He looked for a stud but there was nothing to lock the door. _Now what?_

"Sasuke? Are you Okay?" cried the Emperor. Sasuke dared not answer.

Banging it shut only made the ordeal worse. The Emperor shouted for guards. He had to think of something fast. Wait; maybe this is going to work. But-

"Quick." He ordered Sakura in a whisper.

"What?" came a frantic reply from Sakura.

"I want you to-" He couldn't say the word.

"What?"

"I want you to-" He struggled to bring the word of request to his lips.

"Say it! If it's the only way!" Sakura was about to scream.

"Moan."


	6. Chapter 6: The Plan

_Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its anime series or comics : ((_

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**A/N : Yup, this is it, the chapter entirely on fluff (exciting isn't it? *cheeky smile*) =] In case you forgot to read my note in the previous chapter, I changed the rating to T because of the content. R&R, and thank you again for all your support! Sorry for the grammatical mistakes if there are any… I sorta rushed the story a bit so I didn't really have time to proof-read it personally, but I will once I have time! Thanks again!**

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**Reply to your reviews (Yes I do reply to every single review you guys give me!) :**

**kt.: **yup, the lime's coming up in this chapter, nah its too early for "the" lemon (wicked smile), coz I'll be forced to end the story once the lemon comes up unless I cook up another one twice as good. Thank you again =]

**Kaydreams:** Well, You'll see for yourself muahahahahaha!!! XDD

**Laura-chan: **Me too~ And I'm starting to get into writing them too.

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**Ch.6 The Plan**

There was a long moment of silence.

"I don't- I don't know how to moan." She half blushed when she spoke the statement.

"Like this."

With that he placed his cheek close to the gap of the door and let out a moan-ish gruff.

"…Huh."

It sounded… erotic. The crimson liquid within her seemed to boil by itself – so fiery, so hot, that it seemed to scorch her, all over her little body, producing blisters of lust. Absentmindedly, she let out a pant in reply without her own knowledge. Blushing hard, she covered her mouth with both her hands in utter embarrassment.

"Its okay, keep panting."

"No I can't…"

"Come over." She obediently obliged with a nod.

"Relax." She did so. "Close your eyes." She did too.

It was when she lowered her lids her sensations burned, _again._ She felt a pair of strong arms girdle her slim waist, pulling her close to a warm, naked, sweaty chest, and other than that, she noticed a sticky tongue rummaging around her collarbone.

"ah-"

She quickly covered her mouth again, afraid that the man beside her would hear her letting out her erotic emotions, and also because she was ashamed of herself being so filthy. Seeing that Sasuke had already noticed that words were caught in her throat, she looked away from his onyx gaze and blushed harder still.

Realizing that Sakura was still very nervous, Sasuke took it a step further. He started swerving his arms around her body, occasionally increasing his speed into a gentle massage. It was when he reached her thighs she finally experienced what was true intoxication. Every time he touched the inner surface of her perfect legs, she uttered a small "uh" or an "ah", and the closer he rubbed to the vagina, the louder the "uh" became. She couldn't help but press her palms on his chest and caressing it from time to time, only arousing Sasuke ever more, causing him to fondle his partner even harder.

It was time when the Emperor realized that he should not be disturbing the couple and left with his soldiers. Seeing that the shadows proceed away from the room, she threw in a note of reminder between her constant gasps of eroticism.

"huh, uh, uh, Sas, huh, Sasuke? Huh, ah, ah.."

"uh, uh, yeah? Ah-"

"They've left, huh, uh ,uh, ah, already, ah-"

"I know.. huh, huh, um, uh.. But I can't, huh, uh, stop, uh, huh,-"

Well, neither could Sakura. She opened her mouth for further enquiries, but she held it back. The truth was she wanted it to continue. So did Sasuke. Her panting grew louder and more lustrous as Sauske knelt down to unfold her tunic and caress her belly with his tongue. Both did not seem to realize or matter that they were equally fully clothed, and, as a matter of fact, drenched in sweat. The bed just a yard or two away from them seemed so inviting.

Sasuke resumed his standing position and as he stood up, gave a generous caress to the back and inner surface of her legs, which make Sakura pant with utmost delight. He then took hold of her firm rump and gave it a gentle and teasing squeeze before lifting her up and carrying Sakura to the oh so tempting mattress. Sakura simply squealed.

The four-poster bed was soft and smooth and large, just the precise location for passionate lovemaking. It was just when Sasuke lowered Sakura to the bed that they came to notice they were in such an erogenous position. Sakura, submissive and seductive she already was, was stationed below Sasuke facing the ceiling, legs spread and back arched as if waiting for her suitor to plunge into her anytime. Her hands were readily placed on Sasuke's thighs, explicitly near to his tenders. Sasuke's form was even raunchier. He was kneeling astride Sakura, almost riding her, with his palms against Sakura's upper body, thumbs and fingers apart, holding her torso right beneath her breasts as if purposely letting her mounds rest on where his thumb and his index met. Generously massaging them in a circular motion, he playfully pinched her nipples, which only made her toss her head back and let go of a blissful and erotic pant. "Uhhh!!!" The expression of bliss was closely followed by a series of quickened pants and moans according to his accelerating caresses. Seeing that his motions were pushing Sakura off the edge, a satisfied smile crept to his lips, leaking out the darker desires within him. After progressing to giving a small suck on her left nipple, he returned to his stroking and crept under her jawbone for more tongue-work.

"Huh huh huh..umh, ahhh, uhh, huh huh huh …" Frankly speaking, there wasn't much proper conversation going on.

Sakura could merely move now. Every single fondle from Sasuke only seemed to detach her body from the control of her brain, making her more and more dependent on her sense of touch and hearing. She felt limp with lechery and animalism. The only thing she could do was to moan to Sasuke's pleasure and trace her limp hands uselessly on his firm and sweaty torso. Well, it was useless to her, but it wasn't the case for Sasuke. Every finger she placed on him seemed to electrocute him like nothing he had ever experienced. He ached to claim her as his. Whether she was is servant didn't matter any more._ Well, he had to admit that he did have mild feelings for her…_

"Ahh!"

Sakura suddenly let out a slightly raised scream. Sasuke was wondering what he had done, when he realized that his member was fully erect and tenting the hem of his trousers. The scream from Sakura was because the tip of the erection had accidentally swept across the opening of her vagina, where the excitation was only intensified by the tight-fitting silk underpants she was wearing. Obviously she had striven in holding back her screams in spite of the immense and undeniable sensuality generously provided by Sasuke, but seems that she could hold it no more once the fruit had been touched. But she needn't worry about Sasuke. He was already grinding his body against her; again, the rubbing of the fabric present between them only infuriated the excitement. Sakura could no longer utter a sound. All her previous moans turned into wordless pants and huffs. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she huffed and puffed into his ear, where the moisture and the eroticism only made him pick up his speed of the and enhance the power of each blow, now madly bucking his hips and rocking hers to heighten the ado.

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The lot did not wake up until late afternoon, both awaking to find themselves entangled in each other's grip in a rather erotically unsightly manner and dislodged from their energy. And, they found themselves in a dungeon.


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